Sacred Silence
by Eli
Summary: A day can change so much.
1. Part One: The Towers Will Fall

Title: Sacred Silence  
  
Author: The lyrical Eli  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summery: A day of darkness and hope.  
  
Feedback: Yes, please. I wrote this because I really thought people would enjoy it.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of this. And so much is lost already.  
  
Note: God bless the hardships of the day.  
  
  
  
-The night before-  
  
Sara Pezzini, wielder of the witchblade, tossed and turned in her bed. The witchblade began to glow on her wrist and pushed it's wielder into a vision.  
  
It was dark. All she could see was mist and black. The voices were crying out to her.  
  
"Sara."  
  
"What?"  
  
"They are here and they are coming!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"They are here and they are coming!"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"The marters of hate!"  
  
"What are they going to do?"  
  
"They are here to destroy!"  
  
"Destroy what?"  
  
"All that is good here. They are here to break."  
  
"What is that suppose to mean?"  
  
"Sara!" She turned in the mists to face a figure in white. She was standing a good twenty feet from Sara, but she could tell it was a woman dressed in white, rocking herself.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
The woman shook her head and began to sing. She sang to the tune of rock-a- bye baby, but the lyrics were wrong. The woman also mysteriously sounded like a child.  
  
Disturbance in the air.  
  
Above city's top.  
  
As anger flows,  
  
The balance will rock.  
  
When hatred breaks,  
  
The towers will fall.  
  
And down will come peace,  
  
Freedom, and all.  
  
Sara stared at the woman and wondered at the lyrics. They made no sense. None of this vision did.  
  
"What is this all about?!" She screamed at the woman. The woman turned her back to her and walked away.  
  
Sara woke up in her apartment, sweating and breathing hard. She could still hear music, but it was no longer coming from the woman. It was floating up from the floor. Her downstairs neighbors apartment.  
  
The Lawrences consisted of her friend Genna and her three daughters: Delphia, who was eleven months old and was thankfully a quiet baby. Charlotte, who was seven and had the habbit of leaving flowers and other little gifts for Sara. She knew it was her because she would spy until Sara found the gift, and then would let out an earfull of elf laughter. And last, there was Linda, who was nineteen and was probably the one blasting music at this moment. Sara pulled her pillow over her head. Linda had the habit of blasting the same Systen of a Down song all night, Toxicity.  
  
Sara reached over to her crate of a night stand and grabbed her portable c.d. player. She turned the volume up and feel asleep to the more comforting sounds of Michelle Branch.  
  
-That morning-  
  
Sara felt someone shaking her urgently. She turned in her bed and tried to ignore it, but whoever it was just kept shaking her. She couldn't hear because she had left her c.d. player on. She closed her eyes tighter. Then, someone pulled her head phones off.  
  
"Sara!" She finally opened her eyes and groaned.  
  
"Nottingham! It's my day off! What the hell?!" Usually, he would leave her alone, but this time he was persistant.  
  
"Sara, you need to get up! This is important." She felt him pull her covers back and pull her to her feet.  
  
"Ian, stop!" She protested. Her eyes were still half shut. "What the hell are you doing?!"  
  
"Open your eyes, Sara!" He had dragged her to her window. She rubbed her eyes and let them get use to the light before she looked out her window and saw.....  
  
"Oh My God!!" She couldn't believe it. Her window looked over the city and she could clearly see a hole through one of the twin towers.  
  
"What The Hell?!" She felt herself start to give way to a faint, but Ian supported her so no such thing would happen.  
  
"A plane just flew right into it. I thought you had heard, but then I looked in and you were still fast asleep." Sara went into her living room and turned on the t.v.  
  
The news was already reporting it, but they had next to nothing as far as information went. Sara sat on her couch and watched. She kept shaking her head.  
  
"Sara!"  
  
"What?" She refused to look from the screen.  
  
"Look!" She turned her head the direction he pointed, the window. Her eyes widened. Another plane was flying low and crashed into the other tower.  
  
"Oh God! Oh God! What the hell is happening?!" She watched in horror as the buildings slowly went into flames from the inside. She could hear other people screaming from outside. She knew thousands of people worked at the towers and was horrified to think how many of them were now dead, or even worst, were slowly being burned alive.  
  
Ian kept his feelings to himself, but he could feel a great anger and also a deepening sadness to the events unfolding before him. He wanted to scream out like Sara was, but knew ranting would not help. One of them had to keep calm. But he didn't say a word.  
  
They were totally void of the t.v. screen and continued to watch the towers in the time of there gradual destruction. They seeemed to stare at the towers for hours, when Sara heard someone knocking on her front door. Sara ignored it at first, but it became stronger and was added by someone crying. Sara reluctantly got up and answered the door.  
  
She opened it to find Charlotte doing her best to hold the crying baby Delphia. She was in tears herslef, but was trying to hold it back.  
  
"Sara, I'm scared." Charlotte moaned out. Sara took the drying babe from teh child's arms and tried to get her to stop. Ian had followed to see what was going on. As soon as Sara took Delphia, Charlotte sunk to her knees and began to cry.  
  
Sara knew she couldn't calm both children down at once. She glanced at Ian, and some what reluctant, nodded her head toward Charlotte. He understood what she wanted him to do. He walked up to the small, weeping girl and picked her up. At this point, Charlotte was too upset to care who was holding her. She threw her small arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder. Sara closed the door behind them and walked into the living room. As soon as Charlotte had calmed down a bit, she talked to her.  
  
"Charlotte, sweetie, where's your mommy and Linda?" She looked at Sara and tried her best to hold back her crying again.  
  
"Mama took Lyn to work with her. She...She told me to watch Delphia and wait for Julie. Then..... Julie called and... and said she couldn't come. So I.....I...I called mama at work and the phones want out. And....." Tears started to fall as she struggled to get the next words out. "The phone..... go dead. I looked out...... the window and....." She tightened her hold around Ian. "I saw the plane thing go into Mama's building!" She cried the last part out and was weeping even harder now.  
  
Sara was in disbelief. She was standing up and rocking Delphia. She looked up at the chaos for a moment, and then looked back at Charlotte.  
  
"Are you sure it was Mommy's building?" Charlotte nodded her head. Ian held the poor child closer to him. She was now letting loud sobs pass through her mouth. Sara and Ian looked at each other, truly stressed. Sara saw now that there was a possibility that Linda and Genna were no longer with them. Charlotte understood that as well, and cried even more.  
  
Sara was able to get Delphia to sleep and Charlotte's cries were getting softer and softer. Sara and Ian continued to watch the towers through the window. Ian had to turn because it was painfully obvious that people stuck in the top were now starting to jump to the ground. He hoped Charlotte had not seen it. Sara stayed watching and had a sick feeling in her stomach.  
  
Suddenly, the top of the first tower began to fall. Ian turned back around to see what the hell was going on. They stood there next to each other with two children in their arms as the first tower collapsed. They watched in utter terror. Sara felt weak again and strained to keep up, for her sake and Delphia's. Ian held tight to Charlotte with one arm and put his other arm around Sara's shoulders as a type of support and comfort. Sara was greatful.  
  
The debris and dust filled the air. It flooded the sky with darkness. Clouds of the filth covered the sun and fell toward the ground. It littered the streets. It covered Sara's window and put her whole apartment into darkness. Like someone had all of a sudden swallowed the sun. The t.v. went out and went into silent black out. Sara's mouth was open, but no words came out. The same went for Ian and Charlotte. There was just a quiet between them all. Even baby Delphia wasn't making a sound. Just the sound of crumbling and destruction. Besides that, there was pure silence.  
  
Sacred silence.  
  
Sara was crying freely now. This was all too much. Her city, her home, was under attack. She felt miserable. She half turned to Ian to see he was crying to, but he wasn't making a sound. Charlotte was crying again as well. The sight of it all caused her to cry harder. She wanted to open the window to see what was going on, but didn't want the dirt and filth to get inside her apartment. She wanted to make sure it settled.  
  
The thought of thousands of people buried under all the rubble entered her mind. She shook her head and tried to get the picture out, but it clouded her thinking. She backed from the window and sat on the couch. She looked at baby Delphia and started to pray to any god that would listen that she and Charlotte weren't orphans.  
  
Charlotte hadn't let go of Ian since he had picked her up. She had seen him before around Sara. She had originally had thought he was bad since Sara was always yelling at him. Charlotte knew Sara was special. She knew a secret that she kept to herself so that Sara wouldn't be hurt. That was why she left stuff for Sara. So that Sara would always be good. She hugged Ian as tight as she could. She decided that someone this nice could not be bad afterall. Besides, Sara hadn't once yelled at him yet.  
  
Ian looked down at the little one he held. He felt her pull herself closer to him. He was still standing up. He had one hand under her holding her up, while the other was now gently stroking her back. He had seen this little one before. He saw her leave little presents for Sara. He also had seen her one night, watching through her window, as Sara got into a fight with two men below. Charlotte had seen Sara use the witchblade. He had first thought to knock the child out so she wouldn't remember a thing, but then he saw her smile and go to bed. He knew that she kept the information to herself. She looked up at him.  
  
"Thank you, Nottingham." He looked at her questionably. Charlotte saw the look on his face and got confused. "Isn't that your name? That's what Sara calls you."  
  
"Nottingham is my last name. My first name is Ian."  
  
"Oh. Then thank you, Ian." She put her head on his shoulder.  
  
"You are very welcome, Charlotte."  
  
"How do you know my name?"  
  
"I know lots of things. Like how you know why Sara is special."  
  
"She's a super hero. Like Batman."  
  
"Wonderwoman would be closer."  
  
"Well, then you are like batman." He couldn't help but laugh a little at her comment.  
  
"May I inquire why I am like batman?"  
  
"Inquire?" He was amused by the child's innocence.  
  
"Why am I like batman?"  
  
"Because you like to wear black, and you're strong, and you protect Sara. Well, at least I think you protect Sara. You do, right?"  
  
"How do you know I protect Sara?"  
  
"Because you come here every night and watch her sleep. Lyn says people like that are something called perverts, but she hasn't seen you. I do."  
  
"I've seen you, too. Why do you leave things for Sara?"  
  
"So she remembers why she should be on the good guys side. I don't want the darkside to take her over like Darth Vader." He nodded at Charlotte's explanation.  
  
"You go on doing what you do. It makes her happy. And I think she could use happiness right now."  
  
"We all could." Charlotte began to think of her Mama and Lyn. It brought more tears to her eyes.  
  
"Mama and Lyn are dead."  
  
"You don't know that."  
  
"But their hurt. I can feel it. Especially Lyn. Ian?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Can you protect them like you do Sara? Can you rescue them?"  
  
Ian didn't know how to answer. Half of him wanted to go out and help, but the other half didn't want to leave Sara. He looked back down at little Charlotte. Her eyes were so full of innocent hope. She really thought he was like batman. A dark knight. So that was who he had to become. A knight. And a knight never refuses a lady. He nodded his head.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Eli: This is part one. Expect part two out soon. I went to school today (9/11) and while we were in assembly, I thought this up. Hope you like it. 


	2. Part Two: Peace of Mind

Eli: Here's part two. I tried to make it just as good as the first, so I hope everyone likes it.  
  
"You're what?!" Sara stood in front of him, hands on her hips, in disbelief. Charlotte quietly sat on the couch in the living room holding Delphia. Ian was not in his usual servant pose. He was not a servant now, he was a child's dark knight and determined to complete his task.  
  
"I am going out to search for their mother and sister."  
  
"No, you're not!" He took a step closer to her and looked her in the eye. She was unuse to this and he knew it.  
  
"I am not asking for your premission. I am simply telling you that I am going out. I will be back when I am done."  
  
"Then at least let me go with you."  
  
"And leave Charlotte and Delphia unattended?"  
  
"Then you stay here and watch them and I'll go out."  
  
"No. I am going. I would take less time."  
  
"Whay are you doing this?"  
  
"Charlotte deserves at least that."  
  
"Charlotte? She asked you to go out, huh? And you're actually doing it? She's seven years old."  
  
"I, or should I say you, owe her a debt."  
  
"What kind of debt?"  
  
"A debt of honor. I'll be back." He walked passed her toward the front door.  
  
"Ian?" He stopped and turned to her. "Be careful out there." He nodded and left.  
  
Sara stood and stared at the door. She didn't realize she had been doing it till Delphia cried out and demanded her attention. She rocked the babe in her arms to quiet her. Sara began to think of the whole situation. She turned to Charlotte.  
  
"You'll probably have to stay here tonight. I don't want you two alone. Why don't we go down to your apartment and get some supplies?"  
  
"Okay." She followed Sara out the door and back to her apartment. Sara set Delphia down in her crib and started to gather up bottles, formula, things she would need for Delphia. She stuffed them all in bag and then grabbed the folded up play pin. She turned to find Charlotte behind her holding a bag.  
  
"Do you have everything, Charlotte?"  
  
"Uh, huh." Sara took them back up to her apartment. She made a bottle of formula for Delphia and began to feed her. Charlotte pulled on her sleeve.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Can I watch my movie?" She held up a movie. Disney's Mulan. Sara nodded. Charlotte put the movie in and was about to press play, when they both her a rumbling. Charlotte ran back to Sara and hugged her legs. Sara set the bottle down and held Delphia close to her. Charlotte covered her ears.  
  
After a few minutes, it was over. They couldn't figure out what it was. Sara looked down at Charlotte to see that she was not only pale, but was shivering.  
  
"Charlotte, what's wrong?" Charlotte didn't hear her. She was staring at the blackened window. Sara held Delphia with one hand, and put her other hand on Charlotte's shoulder.  
  
"Charlotte?"  
  
"Ian was out there."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He's in that?"  
  
"In what?"  
  
"Whatever just happened."  
  
"I'm sure he's fine. Just like your mom and Linda. Why don't you start your movie?" Charlotte moved off of Sara and went back to the living room.  
  
Sara had just finished feeding Delphia, when her cell went off. She picked it up one handed.  
  
"Pezzini."  
  
"Sara? Are you alright?" The voice was scared and belonged to her friend Gabriel.  
  
"Gabriel. I'm fine. Are you alright?"  
  
"Of course, I'm not in the city. I'm at my dad's place in New Jersey. I just woke up and turned on the t.v. and the towers....."  
  
"Yeah. I saw it happen through the window."  
  
"It wasn't just the towers. Whoever it was hit the pentagon and crashed one more plane in a field out in Pennsylvania. Damn it, Sara. They used our own planes!"  
  
"Oh God! Who the hell is doing this?! I want to know!"  
  
"No one knows yet. I hate to get off, but there are some others I have to call. So, I will see you as soon as I can."  
  
"Alright, see ya."  
  
"Bye." Sara put down the phone. She carried Delphia back to the living room and sat down. She was angry. She tried despretely to calm down. As long as there were others to take care of, she must hold back her anger.  
  
Charlotte sat cross legged on the floor. She consentrated on the movie. It was hard. This was her favorite movie and she had seen it a million times over. But now she saw it with new eyes. She never realized how much the rockets in there looked liked, when in flight, a bird.  
  
Or a plane.  
  
She shook her head and distracted herself by praying for her mama and Lyn. And Ian.  
  
Sara had just put down Delphia for the night, when someone opened the front door. She and Charlotte rushed to the front door and were taken back by what they saw.  
  
Charlotte, despite the mess he was in, went to Ian and tried to give him a hug. He put a hand out to stop her, not wanting her to get any of this on herself.  
  
Sara couldn't believe the state he was in. He was covered in dirt and grime and...... blood. He looked to Sara. She nodded and lead him to the bathroom. He closed the door behind her. He quickly stripped and went into the shower. He just let the water fall on him.  
  
Charlotte didn't understand. Everything was so cold. What had happened?  
  
Sara looked through her drawers and pulled out a tank and sweatpants that had belonged to one of her ex's. She opened the door a crack and placed them on the counter.  
  
He walked out a few minutes later. Charlotte ran up to him again and succeed in giving him a hug. He picked her up and carried her to the couch. She sat on his lap. She waited to hear the news on mama and Lyn, but he said nothing. How could he relate to her what he had found? She didn't deserve to hear it. It should have never happened.  
  
Sara needed to know. She picked Charlotte up off his lap and placed her up right on the floor. "Charlotte, could I talk to Ian alone for a while? Just go in my room for a couple of minutes." Charlotte nodded and went into Sara's room. Sara turned her attention towards Ian. She sat down on the table directly in front of him.  
  
"What happened?" He looked down. She moved her hand toward him, but he knew what she was going to do and backed away. She went in his face and forced him to look at her.  
  
"Would you rather put it into words?" He thought for a moment, then grabbed her hand.  
  
She saw what had happened. How could she not have known? The second tower had collapsed. The darkness had once again taken the sky and debre refilled the air. While she and Charlotte had been hiding, Ian had been out there and had seen it. He had seen it all. Through him, she saw the aftermass, the people covered in dust, striving to breathe. People, up close, were trapped in the mess. Alive, dead, injured, and with the witchblade's own gruesome additions, it was all too much.  
  
She had let go. She was crying. Still, there was one thing left to know.  
  
"Where are they?"  
  
"Her mother had a concussion and I placed her in the hospital's care."  
  
"And Linda?" Her eyes widened as he shook his head.  
  
"She is dead. I was too late." They looked at each other, Sara's eyes streaming with tears. His, not letting anything escape him.  
  
Linda was nineteen. Had just started college. Watched her younger siblings with care. Was just begining life. Now, she was gone. Forcibly taken from her.  
  
How she would have loved to strangle whoever did this. Forcibly take his life. Take his life for Linda and the so many others. So much was lost.  
  
She and Ian looked at each other again. It was too much to bear alone. She reached over and embraced him. He pulled her closer and closer till finally, she straddled his lap and they held each other. Had this been any other time, this would have been for other reasons, possibly sexual. But not this. This was comfort, reassurance that the tomorrow would come again.  
  
'Why does it take so much pain for there to be unity?' They thought to themselves.  
  
Sara soon called Charlotte into the room. She sat down on the couch between Ian and Sara.  
  
"Ian, what happened? Did you find Mama and Lyn?" Ian's eyes flashed from Charlotte to Sara and back again. Sara nodded.  
  
"Charlotte, mama's in the hospital. But she will be okay."  
  
"What about Lyn?" Sara took a deep breath.  
  
"Linda is dead, Charlotte." Charlotte began to cry. She leaned on Ian and he put an arm around her. Sara then continued.  
  
"I, we, are so sorry that it has happened. But think of where Linda is now. She's in a better place, where she can rest. She can listen to as much System of a Down as she wants. She can eat as much chocolate as she wants. And she can look in on you and protect you. Always. Please, she wouldn't want you to be sad. She had no pain, and she never will. Do you understand, Charlotte?" She nodded her head.  
  
They stayed with her till she had no more tears left. "You're tired, sweetie. Why don't we get some sleep?" Charlotte nodded.  
  
Sara entered her bedroom to see the woman from her vision standing in the corner of the room. She knew now what the message had meant, but only too late. Or perhaps she wasn't meant to have prevented it. The woman in white was no longer illuminated and her face was now visible. She reconized her now.  
  
It was Linda.  
  
She shrugged her shoulders and then turned to the bed. Charlotte sat on the edge looking confusingly at Sara. Linda smiled at Charlotte.  
  
"Watch her, will ya? She isn't all grown up yet." Sara nodded at the apparition. Linda smiled again and faded. Charlotte caught the look on Sara's face.  
  
"Linda was here, wasn't she?"  
  
"She's protecting you, Charlotte."  
  
The two then went to bed. Ian insisted on keeping vigilince for the whole night. When she was half asleep, she felt Charlotte move off the bed. She opened one of her eyes to see Charlotte climb onto Ian's lap and whisper something in his ear. He shook his head.  
  
"I don't think Sara would like that." Sara sighed with sleep.  
  
"As long as it includes getting to bed, go ahead. I don't mind." She then closed her eye and tried to sleep. She felt Charlotte put her one of her arms around her and put an arm around the child in return. Then someone, who was deffinitely not Charlotte, put an arm around her. She looked to see Ian lying down behind Charlotte with his right arm around her little shoulders. The other resting on her waist.  
  
Sara looked down at Charlotte.  
  
"For protection, Sara. So the bad people can't get us. We're protected." With that said, Charlotte closed her eyes and went to sleep.  
  
Sara and Ian looked at each other. They seemed to have an understanding now. Ian placed his hand on her face and traced down her side back to her waist. She moved her left arm till it was out from under her and had a secure hold behind his neck. They then both went to sleep.  
  
Once again there was silence, but different. No rumbling in the back round. No tears falling. No more destruction happening. Just the peace.  
  
Another type of sacred silence.  
  
The end.  
  
Eli: Well, what did you think? Dedicated to all that was lost and to those left behind to tell the tale. God bless you all. 


End file.
